1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brassieres and methods of making same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circular knit bra having breast cups with varying degrees of stretch for providing desired, selective support to the wearer""s breast.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern brassieres are designed to accommodate both a need for comfort during wear, as well as a need for support. Therefore, a brassiere must provide both flexibility and freedom of movement, as well as breast support.
Circular knit bras have become popular for the maximum comfort and flexibility that they provide. Circular knit technology has been used to create brassieres that accommodate a need for maximum stretchability and freedom of movement, such as sports bras.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,525 to Richards describes the use of a circular knitting machine to produce a seamless garment blank. To assemble a brassiere, the seamless garment blank is cut, folded, and sewn.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,836 to Osborne describes a brassiere made from a circular-knit garment blank. Each circular-knit garment blank has a welt at one end with a fabric portion integrally knit thereto. To assemble the brassiere, neck and armhole areas are cut in the fabric segment to define front and rear strap portions, which are sewn to complete the formation of the brassiere. Full cup support areas are provided in each breast cup region by adding fed-in yarns in the knitting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,745 to Albright provides a circular knit brassiere that is elasticized by the selective insertion of elastic yarn segments in selected wales and courses, to define the contoured area to be elasticized.
U.S. Patent No. 6,125,644 to Browder provides a circular knit brassiere formed of an inner fabric and an outer fabric that are knit to one another. The outer fabric is formed with yarn of nylon, or combinations of nylon and cotton, using a knit stitch to provide strength, support, or aesthetic properties in specific areas. The inner fabric is formed with yarns and one or more knit stitches that are selected or softness, comfort, and moisture wicking properties.
While brassieres of circular knit construction have become popular for the maximum comfort and flexibility desirable in an undergarment, they provide only limited support in the breast area. Moreover, in recent years there has been an increasing demand for brassieres having a shaping effect, i.e., which provide support in specific regions thereby improving the aesthetics of the figure.
Therefore, a need exists for a method of producing a brassiere having areas for providing support and shaping effect to the breasts using circular knitting machines.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a seamless circular knit bra or brassiere having areas for providing support and shaping in the breast cup area.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a brassiere that has a breast cup with varied degrees of stretchability to enhance support and shaping effect to the breasts of the wearer.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a brassiere in which the varied degrees of stretchability are discrete areas in the breast cup.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a brassiere in which the varied degrees of stretchability are achieved gradually throughout the breast cup.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a seamless circular knit bra or brassiere in which varying areas of stitch tightness and density are integrally knitted into the breast cups using a minimal number of manufacturing steps.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a seamless circular knit brassiere that uses select yarn feed-in tension while either changing, or still maintaining, the same basic stitch construction configuration throughout the brassiere.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a bra or brassiere formed from a circular knit bra blank that is cut to define a traditionally shaped bra body having a pair of breast cups, a center gore or portion disposed between the breast cups, and a pair of side panels to connect each breast cup to the back of the brassiere. The brassiere may also include a pair of adjustable shoulder straps. Each strap is connected to a breast cup and a side panel. The brassiere may also have a pair of arcuate underwire portions, with one arcuate underwire portion adjacent or connected to each breast cup to provide additional breast support.
The brassiere of the present invention has breast cups with graded areas or graduation of stretch, preferably achieved by varying stitch density and stitch lengths, for providing support and shaping in the breast cup and, thus, to the breasts of the wearer.
In one embodiment, the stitching of each breast cup is most dense at the bottom of the breast cup. Two or more progressively less densely stitched areas are provided in the breast cup between the bra band and the top of the breast cup.
In another embodiment, the breast cup may have gradual gradation of stretchability, and thus stitch density. Preferably, stitch density at the bottom of the cup is most dense with stitch density gradually decreasing towards the top of the breast cup.